20 December 2010

Family Matters

I go home to NYC this week to visit the ole fam - and of course I am over-the-moon excited about getting to see my parents, my big sis and my nephew again. However, as is the case with anyone else with a family, along with the family highs come the family "mehs."

What are my family "mehs?" They are very few, but all relate to the inevitable barrage of questions (yes, you really only need a minimum of two people to be able to barrage) related to my marital status, my child-bearing status, my living location (i.e., not NYC) and - even to this day - my employment and my attire. Yeah, my parents care about what I am wearing.

I know in the eyes of a parent, you will always be seen as their little child regardless of age or financial status. But I can't help but to smirk/grimace when they still give me money stashed in a card for my birthday, won't let me pay for any meals, and my mom pats me on the shoulder and tells me "your dad wanted me to let you know that it is OK to spend some money and buy yourself some nice clothes - at least for work." Uh ... what does this mean about the way my parents think I am dressed?

I know we all love our families dearly, especially over the holidays. But I can't be alone here, so please spill - is there any little thing you don't love about going home for Christmas?

34 comments:

I don't like that my MIL can't cook (at least being a vegetarian I can get out of it somewhat, by making my own food) and also that my man's parents constantly talk over everyone. It's like, why even bother talking to them, they don't even listen and interrupt you. blergh.

I'm the only veggie in my family, so I still catch flack for it, even after 10 years. oh well!

Hahaha! I will always hear it about my clothes from my family. I swear, you'd think I left the house every day dressed as either a prostitute or a clown if you heard my family describe my style.

From some of the family, I still hear it about being a single mom. From other people in my family, I hear it about my hypothetical dating life and how I can't be a mother and date. (I don't date anyways, but they wouldn't believe this... probably because of my clothes...LOL!)

Lastly, I will always hear it about being a vegetarian. They will ask if I am still "going through that phase" and ask me when I will "stop being so difficult and stubborn."

All in all though, I don't get to see my family very often and I rarely make it home for the holidays. I would gladly put up with their remarks if it meant spending time with them. :)

My mom totally cares about what I wear. She sometimes make not to exciting comments about my OOTD posts,(yes she reads my blog) haha. also the "child-bearing status" part. lol(mostly my in laws) You look great as always!Jin,

ha! Visiting Mr. M's parents can take it's toll. I love them to death, but after awhile, hearing his mom ask about where I keep/hide all my clothes and shoes gets a little old (she checks in on the blog). That's when I just smile and walk away...God bless them.

first of all, I love all three outfits! you always look put together so well - even on your lounging days :)

as for my family... well, we don't get together too often. i live in SC and they live in NY (Long Island). i would love to visit, but it's such a pain with two kids. haha! i have to say that the one thing i really cannot stand about visiting them now is how they never have good food in the fridge or pantry. i mean, it's so bad, they don't even have olive oil (!!???)! haha! something i hate about spending holidays with the IL's... they feel this need to spend every waking moment with us. don't get me wrong, i love them and all, but i need some space.

That first red top is amazing! So cute!The only question that gets old with my family is "are you pregnant?". I swear if I'm caught without a drink in hand, that's everyone's first assumption! This past year has been the shift where my mom finally lets me pay for things. It's so nice to not fight over the check and have her let me pay now! I'm sure your parents will get there eventually :) That said, my mom still sends me home with food and toiletries every time we visit! I don't need the TP or papertowels, but it makes her feel good, so we take it!Safe travels and have a wonderful time with your family!!

Tell me about the marital status thing! It's worse with LG's family than mine. His 7 little nieces are always asking him "Uncle LG, are you going to marry Lisa?" right in front of the whole family. Awkward! But they're little girls, so what can you do?

Now on to more important things: your outfits. I love the first outfit for work. The shoes add a little character and the red shirt is very festive. The colours in the second outfit are fantastic. I think the green and the pattern of the skirt go so well. And the third outfit is perfect for the weekend. The sweater is so cute!

First, I think your outfits are fabulous! The last one looks so cozy and cute! And I love the skirt and the cardigan in the second one and the first one is just fabulous! :) And how can your parents not be in love with how you dress?! You're style is so seriously awesome! And here I try to be positive in my comments and you directly ask about the family "mehs"! Oh my... I have a list! Let's see. I'm 31 and married, and still get treated in overly childlike ways, and since we have no kids, we still get some "discussion" about that! Ugh. And lots of... "discussion" about my career choices. Ooh... anyway, I should stop here!! Good luck, hopefully more highs than "mehs", and safe travels! :)

Take the free meals and money! Free cookies too if any are offered. That's what parents are for!

Till recently my fashion sense could best be described as "bag lady," so anything I wear these days garners compliments from my mom. I can almost hear her thinking, "Wow, you don't look like a bag lady today!"

I've been trying to figure out a red and green outfit for Christmas and can't come up with anything I like, but you did it beautifully in the second outfit photo.

I'm with LT. PLEASE don't send me home with coconut curd and other things we don't eat. I politely decline 60% of it, but take about 35 - 40% of it with it. This is MIL, not my mom. I have to be more polite w/the former than latter. Luckily I get along really well w/the ILs, so no major issues. Now regarding my SIL that my brother married...can we send her back to to the state she's from?

Hehehe..you are not alone Lisa. before i got married it was "when is your wedding". Now when i am married, it is "when are you going to have babies?". It's neverending really!Asian families love to give money via red pocket/stashed inside a card eh! Let them continue with the tradition i say :-)You look so cute in your outfits as always. I especially love the second one - such a pretty miniskirt.

Oh am I glad I am not the only one with family "meh"-ssues! However, they're family and they love us and we love them regardless of everything - otherwise why would we keep coming back during the holidays?!

tastymoog / Ady - ah, why do vegetarians get all the flack? My BF's parents are southern born and raised and their idea of vegatables is anything cooked to within an inch of their lives - and it better still not be crunchy! I'm not a vegetarian but I love my veggies and it is sometimes painful to sit with them and eat their veggies, like their canned green beans that they have then boiled for 45 minutes!

Jan - haha, I need to think of things that way! OK, mom, you can ask me a question about having kids, but only after the card stuffed with money! ;oP

LilMissSeamstress / Pamela - I'm glad my BF's mom don't know I have a blog! She's all tuned in to new trends and tech - she'd be on here all the time commenting! My mom, on the other hand, has admitted she is lucky she knows how to work a remote!

Elle - I think we'll always we a child in the minds of our parents!

aimee - My BF's parents are the exact opposite - when we go visit, they're like "help yourself" which is great, but then I feel weird about trying to find something in the kitchen or not knowing how to turn the TV on, etc. Are you from Long Island?!

LT - those first few years after I moved out, my parents would send me care packages with stuff like canned tuna or cleaning products! I loved that they thought of me and worried, but it was almost hilarious! My BF still gets stuff like socks and razors in his stocking every year!

Sweet Laundry - my BF's nephews and niece do the same thing! Right in front of all the adults! So embarassing - but I bet the adults bait them!

Cee / eek - aw, what can you do about asian parents? ;o)

spiffy - aw, sorry about not having been able to see your fam! Well, January is coming up quick! When I lived in NM, going home would take a full day and I was normally so busy I couldn't see them more than once a year!

Matt - I know, I may have opened up a can of worms when I wrote "family" and "holidays" in the same sentence! Good thing we love our fams - 'cause like Patina said, we can't return them! ;o)

Callandra - thanks much!

Melanie - aw thanks! I think they want me marching around in a business suit all day sometimes! ;o)

lady cardi - I think you should break out your new red blouse from eshakti for the holidays! Some skinny jeans and a pretty long-sleeved shirt underneather and you'd be comfy but still festive!

whimsy - thanks for visiting!

Rose - me to! I actually hate waiting and airport part the worst - OK maybe the entire plane ride too if it is long. And the worst about traveling this time of year - you almost can't avoid getting delayed!

gigi - oh let's not start with IL cooking! ;o) I love my BF's mom and we get along famously but that woman can't cook without throwing a pound of butter or entire jar of Miracle Whip into everything! Last time she made enchiladas with white sauce, but her white sauce was entirely made up of cream cheese and mayo! Uh, take home leftovers?!

vintageglammz - over the summer my sister had her first "baby" conversation with me! She's never mentioned that stuff to me before, I was like 'uh oh, not you too!"

First off I love your outfits and am cracking up that your parents comment on your clothes buying! My parents still kinda get after me for buying too many things! It will never change because we will always be their little kids!

Hahaha..that's hilarious! My mom nags me nonstop about haircare, skincare, fashion, etc etc etc!! But the thing is long after I've returned home, her words won't leave me and I end up doing whatever she nagged me to do..

Omg. You are so spot on with everything. I also can't stand when family tells me how to style my hair (it's ALWAYS too long or too short for their liking) and harp on my eating (I'm ALWAYS not eating enough of something - like veggies, or eating too much of something - like chips or soda ... which I don't even!).

Oh this post and the comments had me laughing! Of course, I have my own little list of pet peeves. Every time I'm home and I reach for a snack, my mother asks, "are you really hungry AGAIN?" No, I'm not actually hungry, but I feel like eating because it tastes good. And given that I weigh exactly what I did 7 years ago when I graduated high school, I think it's fine to snack every once in a while. But I guess the biggest pet peeve are the perpetual questions from the extended fam about the BF's job search and the engagement that can only happen once he's employed. Sigh -- I promise folks, when I have good news, I'll share.

But I do love them all dearly -- just as I love all these outfits. The Bianka blouse suits you perfectly! And the owls are too cute! In case you'd like to expand your owl collection, ModCloth has some adorable pieces.

I always gear up for some nagging when we go back to my parents'. My parents always ask, "When are you going to buy a house?" which is totally frustrating because hubs and I are just not ready yet! So we will probably experience a bit of that this weekend along with, "Don't go spending all your money on clothes". Yeah, I get that a lot from them!!H's parents kind of nag about everything, which makes being around mine more manageable :)

Hope you have a fab time in NYC--one of these days we will have to meet up for some shopping and eating! xo

Kelly - talking about parents in always like opening up a can of worms sometimes! A loving can of worms, but sometimes worms nonetheless!

Ashley - haha, I guess I'll just need to "accept" that part! ;o)

Jan - coming home to see the fam isn't really a vacation in the relaxing sense - their idea of sleeping in differs greatly from mine!

tricia - you're totally right!

Sarah - I totally didn't notice that about my shoes until now, but you're right! I am always on the eternal search for comfy but stylish shoes!

PearlsAndGreenTea - isn't it weird (and slightly scary, at least to me) how we get more like our parents as we get older!

Pamela - haha, oh yeah, we're not even going to start on what my parents think of my eating habits!

Jamie - you crack me up, my mom also likes to tell me (and I know she means well) that I looked like I either packed on or lost a few pounds every time she sees me. Then regardless, every meal she tries to stuff me as full of food as possible!

Elle Sees - ah, can't change parents, can we? ;o)

tippy - shopping and eating are my two fave pasttimes! Yep, buying property is another one of my mom's oft-asked questions, though I think at this point it is still lower priority than "when you gonna get married?!"